Catalyst for enamels

Hardener for epoxy resin

We supply a wide variety of catalysts for epoxy resin, which offer high quality curing and hardening for enamels with all types of morphologies, from flat parts with or without edges, to parts with different degrees of curvature, and even completely circular. Our catalysts are the perfect component for our ESMALTEX line.

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Coniex has more than 35 years of experience in the development and improvement of epoxy resins and catalysts for the enameling of parts. Thanks to the research carried out in our laboratories, where we subject every batch of product we manufacture to exhaustive quality controls, we are able to guarantee the consistent quality of our catalysts and epoxy resins.

Epoxy resin is a two-component product, which requires a catalyst for its polymerization or curing.

The catalyst for epoxy resin enamels, also known as component B, or hardener, has the function of hardening the enamel by means of the heat it provides when mixed with the epoxy resin.. It is for this reason that the catalyst is a critical element to achieve the desired result during the glazing of parts and products.

Depending on the morphology of the part, we determine which type of catalyst is the most suitable. There is a catalyst for every application, but you have to know how to select it right from the start. A correct choice of catalyst allows the enameling of pieces with all types of morphologies: flat, with edge, without edge, curved, semi-curved, etc.

In order to be able to successfully enamel any type of piece, CONIEX markets several types of catalysts, among which the following stand out:

CATALYZER-N: The most widely used catalyst. Specially designed for flat parts with side edges.
CATALYZER-40: It is a SLOW catalyst, which reacts very slowly, so we have more working time in the same mixture. Special for long series of parts with small amount of enamel to be applied.
CATALYZER-CATNIVEL: A special catalyst for coating flat parts without side edges and for large surfaces. It is the catalyst indicated for application with ESMALTEX FLEXIBLES. Its ability to self-level the surface and its higher viscosity are the characteristics that allow it to offer a no-sag finish, which is perfect for glazing pieces without edges.
DOMINGFLEX B: Catalyst suitable for label coating.
CATALYZER-TIXOMED: It is a catalyst with higher viscosity and thixotropy (gel texture), making it ideal for parts with a certain curvature without the product sagging or dripping.
CATALYZADOR-TIXOCAT: It is a catalyst with very similar characteristics to the previous one, but specially formulated to enamel pieces of greater curvature. Since it is a very thixotropic catalyst, it is used for parts with high curvature, including rings.

Table of catalysts for decoration

	VISCOSITY mPa / cP	PACKAGING	PARTS	GEL TIME	OVEN DRYING	TOUCH-DRYING	APPLICATIONS
HARDNER-N	30 / 70	0.250 kg 0.500 kg 5 kg	50	30 min.	80°C / 30 min.	8 hours	Enameling of flat parts.
HARDNER-40	80 / 100	0.450 kg 4.5 kg	28-30	120 min.	80°C / 50 min.	12 hours	Slow hardner. Flat pieces. Ideal for small spaces with slow application.
CATALYST-LEVEL CATALYST	260 / 360	0.500 kg 5 kg	50 40 (flexil)	27 min.	50°C / 30 min.	8 hours	For enameling flat surfaces without lateral edge. Ideal for large parts and FLEXIL
CATALYST-TIXOMED	340 / 360	0.250 kg 1 kg	33-45	180 min.	50°C / 120 min.	24 hours	Catalyst with medium thixotropy. Ideal for lightly curved parts.
HARDNER-TIXOCAT	2100 / 2200	0.250 kg 1 kg	40	180 min.	50°C / 120 min.	24 hours	Catalyst with medium thixotropy. Ideal for parts with pronounced curvatures.

Parameters indicated at room temperature: 25°C and relative humidity of 50%. Mixes of 15 grams.

Enameling of curved and round parts

When enameling pieces that have no edge, that are semi-curved or totally curved, a catalyst with a higher thixotropy is needed, that is, one that is thicker and that “holds” the enamel once it has been applied.

At Coniex we have two types of catalysts that offer these characteristics. Both catalysts allow us to glaze in thicknesses of up to 200 microns, without sagging or dripping.
- For parts without edge or with a small curvature, we will use the CATALYZER-TIXOMED. This catalyst has a liquid-gel texture and is denser than our usual catalysts for flat piece glazing, which makes it ideal for glazing this type of pieces.
- If what we need is to glaze a piece with a lot of curvature or totally round, we will use the TIXOCAT CATALYZER. This catalyst has a consistency close to that of gel, so it gives more thickness to the enamel and prevents it from falling off once applied on the piece.
These two catalysts have helped our customers to guarantee the success of their glazes, avoiding the formation of drops.

The application method is very agile and simple. Just add the corresponding part of catalyst to the enamel (Epoxy Resin), after which the mixture must be stirred slowly but uniformly, using enveloping movements so that the two components are well mixed and cause as few bubbles as possible.

It is important to note that this type of catalysts, having a high viscosity, make it more difficult to evacuate the internal air. However, different accessories are available to minimize this effect.

WHAT IS THE CORRECT RATIO IN THE MIXTURE OF CATALYST AND EPOXY RESIN?

To obtain the desired glaze, it is essential that the mixing of hardner and epoxy resin is carried out in the correct proportions. Correct mixing will facilitate proper drying and, therefore, the desired quality of the glaze will be obtained.

In epoxy resin enamels the most common proportion is two parts resin to one part catalyst. For example, if we use 100 grams of our glaze product, it would correspond to another 50 grams of catalyst that guarantees the drying and hardening of the glaze.

From Coniex we offer you the possibility of enrolling in our training courses with theoretical and practical classes so that from the beginning you can use the product correctly, avoiding having to repeat the glazing of pieces and you can thus make your work profitable.

In addition, we have a range of machinery and accessories for enameling that guarantee the quality and profitability in the final finish of the enameled piece, which will be shiny, rigid and with high resistance.